From Marty Czekala
VIRGIL, N.Y. (September 20, 2024) — Dalton Herrick has been waiting since last September to join the double digits wins club in CRSA action.
With assistance from long-time girlfriend Takla, Herrick drew pole position for the 25-lap feature and led green to checkered to take his first win of the season at Skyline Raceway Motorsports Park and career win No. 10.
“We’ve drawn terrible all year, she put us on the front and I got Mike VanDusen turning the wrenches tonight,” said Herrick in victory lane. “He gave me an incredible hot rod. I gave him some feedback and he knew what to do to make this thing fast.”
The win for Herrick breaks a tie with Mike Kiser for ninth on the all-time CRSA wins list.
The No. 29 and Jerry Sehn Jr. brought the field to green for 25 laps in the Joe’s Garage Southern Tier Series finale. Herrick wasted no time clearing the No. 410 with Scott Landers not too far behind.
Herrick approached lapped traffic before the first yellow on lap six for Kirsten Dombroski off the pace.
On the restart, Herrick held serve as Landers and CRSA debutant Mikey Smith battled for second. Herrick opened up a two-second lead before the second yellow before the halfway mark for an accident involving Nathan Pierce and Michael Hart in turn one.
Herrick would not look back as the battle for second heated up in the final laps between Smith, Landers and Tomy Moreau. Herrick took the checkered flag to win his first in a calendar year.
Entering the feature, Herrick was the only driver who had raced at both prior CRSA features at Skyline. Did having more races on the 3/8-mile track become a factor?
“I think it helps,” said Herrick. “The track was a little different. I like the reconfigure with the wiped out backstretch and being able to get on the fence. They gave us a really fun track tonight.”
Mikey Smith made the pass for the runner-up spot with two to go past Landers. In his debut, Smith won his heat race, started fifth and moved up three spots. In a car that was driven by brother Johnny Smith this year, it was a successful night for the driver of the No. 4S.
“The last time I was here was in a micro sprint,” said Smith. “Didn’t know what I was gonna walk into or how fast I was gonna be. We showed we had speed. We’ve been trying to crack the top five everywhere I go. I’m glad we were able to get it done tonight.”
Scott Landers rounded out the podium in third, tying his best finish of the season going back to Weedsport in May.
“It was a good race,” said Landers. “Little eerie about this track coming up here, but it is awesome. Great group of people here and happy to be here to finish third.”
For the Joe’s Garage Southern Tier Series championship, Kyle Pierce needed an eighth-place finish or better after heat points to win the championship.
Starting ninth in the feature, Pierce moved up to seventh by lap nine. Just before the halfway point, Pierce took sixth from father Cliff. He would look to grab one more spot from Jerry Sehn Jr., but unofficially, “The Flyin’ School Teacher” scores his second miniseries championship of the year.
“It’s always nice coming back to tracks close to home,” said Pierce. “I grew up racing bullrings, doing this feels more natural than the big momentum tracks. Still a good snack Monday.”
With two races remaining in the overall points chase, Pierce and Tomy Moreau are tied for the lead while Dalton Herrick is 21 behind.
Mikey Smith was named the Powdertech Powdercoating Hard Charger of the Race, starting fifth and finishing second, gaining three spots.
Under the weather, Blake Warner finished 17th, but it took guts to take the green in the feature, not feeling 100 percent. Warner was given the Maguire Family of Dealerships Magnificent Move of the Race for that.
17 drivers checked into Skyline tonight.
CRSA Sprint Cars
Skyline Raceway Motorsports Park
Virgil, New York
Friday, September 20, 2024
Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 22-Tomy Moreau[1]
2. 10-Nathan Pierce[2]
3. 33-Scott Landers[3]
4. 1Q-Thomas Radivoy[4]
5. J27-John Cunningham[5]
6. 21B-Blake Warner[6]
Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 3-Bailey Boyd[1]
2. 410-Jerry Sehn Jr[2]
3. 9K-Kyle Pierce[3]
4. 28-Ron Greek[5]
5. 30-Kirsten Dombroski[4]
6. 55-Michael Hart[6]
Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 4S-Mikey Smith[2]
2. 29-Dalton Herrick[1]
3. 4-Cliff Pierce[5]
4. 99-Adam Depuy[3]
5. D9-Dustin Sehn[4]
A-Main (25 Laps)
1. 29-Dalton Herrick[1]
2. 4S-Mikey Smith[5]
3. 33-Scott Landers[3]
4. 22-Tomy Moreau[4]
5. 410-Jerry Sehn Jr[2]
6. 9K-Kyle Pierce[9]
7. 4-Cliff Pierce[7]
8. 3-Bailey Boyd[6]
9. 1Q-Thomas Radivoy[11]
10. 99-Adam Depuy[12]
11. J27-John Cunningham[13]
12. D9-Dustin Sehn[15]
13. 28-Ron Greek[10]
14. 10-Nathan Pierce[8]
15. 55-Michael Hart[17]
16. 30-Kirsten Dombroski[14]
17. 21B-Blake Warner[16]